Stringed musical instrument.



0. F. BEER. STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT. APPLICATION FILED DEC} 19 l9|6 1 272,357. Patented Ju1y16, 1918.

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0. F. BEER.

STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLiCATION men use. 19.1916. 1,272,357.

Patented July 16, 1918.

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UNITED STATES OWEN IF. BEER, OF ST. JOHNSBURY, VERMONT.

STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Application filed December 19., 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

lie it known that I. Owns F. Benn, a citizen of the Jnited States, residing at St. Johnsbury, in the county of Caledonia and State of Vermont, have invented new and useful Improvements in Stringed Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

his invention is a musical instrument employing strings and is of the general type known as violins. v

The primary object of the invention is to provide a musical instrument of this character wherein a sweet toned instrument is capable of producing a large volume of sound and is particularly adapted for con cert, vaudeville and orchestral work.

A further object of the invention is to provide an instrument which may embody two or more instruments having different ranges of tone combined with means to vary the tonal qualities of the diti'ereut instruments for producing mellow tones of a pleasing character.

The invention, broadly stated, comprises a body that may be divided into different compartments or chambers, stringed musical. instruments mounted upon said body and in communication with the chambers so formed in the body, and a sound bar supported within the body, which sound bar may also be. connected with the sound. boards of the stringed musical instruments supported by the body.

One practical form of construction and assembly will be described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a side elevation of a four unit instrument.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the opposite side of the instrument.

Fig. 3 is'a vertical longitudinal section through one of the units.

F ig. 4 is a vertical transverse section on the line l.1 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a sectional plan view on the line 5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. (i is a vertical transverse section on the line ti-6 of Fig. 3.

In the preferred embodiment about to be uescribed 1 designates the base or body of the instrument as a whole and 2 the legs for supporting the same.

This body 1, as shown. may form a part of the several units 3, at, 5 and 6. It may Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 16, 1918..

Serial No. 137,859.

be subdivided by the vertical partition walls 7 into separate sound or resonating chainbers 8. These chambers S, as shown, are of graduated sizes'in accordance with the graded sizes or ranges of the several units, 3, 1, 5 and 6. Each chamber 8 is provided at one side with an opening 9 to which may fit a horn 10.

The body 1 is provided with a top 11 that serves as a sound board. Each unit is provided with a sound box or chamber 12 that preferably tapers in a vertical direction and whose base or enlarged end is in communication with a chamber 8. i

The box 12 provided with a belly or front sound board 13 and has extending therefrom a neck 14 provided with a finger board 15. The sides of thebox 12 mav be formed with sound openings or apertures 15. These sound openings are preferably formed at the juncture of the edges of the front sound board 13 with the side walls of the box 12, as shown.

Connected to one end of the tail piece 16 are strings 17 that are stretched over the sound board and finger boards, the bridge 18 and nut 19.

The strings 17 are connected at their upper or opposite ends to the usual tuning pins 20. The sound box or chamber 12 and the parts carried thereby are thus generally similar in construction to a violin and a bow of ordinary construction is employed for playing.

The sound board 13 may be provided with the usual bass bar 21 and may be formed with sound openings or apertures 22, as shown, to cooperate with the openings 15. The back wall 23 of this box may also be constructed to function as a sound board.

Disposed within the body 1 is a sound bar 21 that extends longitudinally through all of the chambers 8. As shown, this bar 24: is formed in one continuous length so as to be common to the several chambers S of the body 1.

To support this bar 24 from the bottom walls of the body and in the chambers 8, the sound posts 25 are employed. lVithin each of the chambers 8 there is another sound post 26 that has one end connected With the belly or front board 13, while its other end is secured or attached to the longitudinal sound bar 24.

When the strings of the several units are bowed,-plucked or twitched their motion is communicated to the front boards 13 and therefrom the motion is communicated through the sound posts'26 to the sound bar 24.

What I claim: is

1. A device of the class described comprising a body having a sound chamber therein, a string carrying member located thereon and provided with a sound box opening into the sound chamber in the body.

2. A device of the class described comprising a body having a sound chamber therein, a stringmarrying member located thereon and provided with a sound box communicating with the sound chamber, and sound bars located in and connected with said box and chamber and connected together.

3. A' device of the class described com prising a body'having a sound chamber therein, a horn connected with said chamber, astring carrying member located on said body and provided with a sound box ope'ning'into said sound chamber, a sound bar in said box connected with the lower part of said member, and a soundbar in said chamber connected with said first mentioned 7 therein, a horn connected with said chamber, a string carrying member angularly arranged on said body and provided with a sound box below the lower part thereof which con'm'lunicates with the chamber, a bass bar in said box connected with the lower part of said member, a sound bar projecting through said box and connected with said lower part, and a bar in the chamber connected with the first mentioned bar.

5. A device of the class described com prising a body having a plurality of sound chambers therein, a sound bar extending through said chambers, a horn connected with each chamber, a string carrying member located above each chamber and pro-v vided with a sound box opening intosaid chamber, and a sound bar in each box con nected with the first mentioned sound bar. In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

OWEN F. BEER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G. 

